Dangerous Secrets: Callaghan Brothers, Book 1 (7 page)

Jake shook his head.  If it didn’t make any sense to him, how could he possibly try to explain it to someone else? 

“I think she’s on the run from something.”  That’s it.  He’d keep this conversation focused on her and away from the irrational, primal urge he had to keep her to himself.

“Why do you think that?”  A familiar intensity lit behind Ian’s eyes, the one that he always got when he sensed a mission.  Away from the field for nearly six months now, Jake knew that Ian was chomping at the bit for a little action. 

“Look at this stuff.  Is this the kind of stuff women usually carry around with them?” 

Ian scanned the contents neatly spread out on the bed, noting the things that weren’t there as plainly as the items that were.  “No ID?”

“Nothing.  No credit cards, no wallet, no driver’s license, nothing.”

Jake started placing items back into the pack in exactly the same order he had taken them out.

“So our girl’s got some secrets,” Ian chuckled.  Jake tensed a little.  Was Taryn going to be “their girl”?   

“Did you know she poured half a pitcher of ice down my pants last night?”

Jake’s train of thought halted as he stared at his brother.  “She did what?”

“Yep,” Ian said, smiling ruefully at the memory.  “I suggested maybe a little three-way action, but she didn’t go for it, apparently.”

“But I heard you in the back room.”

“Ah, heard that did you?  Good, because you were meant to.  I took one of the empty kegs back and found Kayla lying in wait for you.  She was half-shot and mad as hell.”

“So you fucked her?”

“Well, duh.  It was
Kayla
.  You know what she’s like when she’s had a few.  If I didn’t distract her she would have come out looking for you.”

“And found Taryn,” Jake finished.  “Good point.”  Kayla would have caused a scene for sure.  She was known for her violent temper, especially after she’d had a few drinks.  After having seen the fire light up in Taryn’s eyes, though, Jake would put his money on the little spitfire.  “I owe you one, bro.”

Ian nodded, accepting it for what it was. 

“So,” Ian asked, plopping himself down.  “What’s the plan?” 

That was one thing Jake really appreciated about his brother.  No matter what, Ian was with him all the way.  Only a few years apart in physical age, they were the closest of all the brothers – with the exception of the twins.  Always had been.  

“I’m not sure yet.  Start with the tavern in the picture, see what we can find.”

“Her car’s down at Sean’s, right?”  Sean was yet another Callaghan brother, one with an innate skill for engines and machinery.  He ran the garage in town, and would be back sometime later that day with the rest of them.

“Maybe I’ll check that out while you grab a few Z’s.” 

Jake nodded appreciatively.  “Good idea.”

Ian started for the door, then hesitated.  “How do you want to play this, Jake?”

Ian wanted Taryn too, Jake could sense it.  He recognized the hunger in his eyes, the way he moved around her.  To everyone else, Ian’s blatant flirting was playful, but Jake often likened Ian to the undertow of a riptide – it looked harmless enough from the beach, but ignore the warning signs and you found yourself getting pulled under before you even realized what was happening. 

Jake hesitated; he knew what Ian was really asking, namely, whether or not he was staking a sole claim on Taryn.  If so, he would never step over the line.  At least that’s what Jake believed.  He had never actually drawn a line before. 

“Keep doing exactly what you’re doing,” Jake said after a few moments.  “Pursuit only, no capture.”

“You want me to drive her right into you, don’t you?”  Ian guessed, his eyes calculating.

“I want her to trust me.”

“And when she does?” 

“Then we’ll see.”  Would Jake ever be able to share Taryn with Ian?  Even now he doubted it.  Together they could pleasure her beyond her wildest fantasies, but for the first time in his life, he wasn’t sure
he
could handle it. 

“We have to go in easy on this one.  She’s in trouble,” Jake said when Ian continued to stare at him, as if that was a sufficient enough explanation, but even he knew it was rationalizing bullshit. 

“With your sights locked on her, she sure the hell is.  You’re scaring me, Jake.  I’ve never seen you like this over a woman.”  Jake didn’t respond to Ian’s challenge, and that was even worse.  “Maybe we should pull Shane in on this.”

Jake was already considering that.  Shane was Sean’s twin, younger than Ian.  He had a photographic memory and an eerie ability to sense things about people, a sixth sense that had saved their asses more than once.  If Taryn was hiding something, Shane would pick it up right away and be able to offer an insight that no one else could.  If nothing else, he’d be able to point them in the right direction.

“Shane will be here tonight with the rest of them.  Wouldn’t hurt to pick his brain, but keep it soft until we have a better idea of what we’re dealing with here.”

Ian looked at the backpack in Jake’s hands.  Taryn was obviously highly mobile; everything clearly pointed to someone who was on the run and ready to clear out at a moment’s notice.  “I don’t think we have a lot of time.”  It was more than just an observation; it was a warning as well.

“She’s agreed to tend the next two nights in exchange for a place to crash,” Jake informed him.  That gave them a little wiggle room, but not much. 

Ian looked hard at his brother.  “And then what?” 

Jake didn’t want to think about that quite yet.  “One step at a time, little brother.”

I
an took advantage of the fact that Jake hadn’t expressly forbidden him from entering the spare room while Taryn slept.  Jake had warned him against trying to seduce her, yes, but he’d never actually said that Ian should deny himself the pleasure of a little peek.  And he
had
said that he wanted Ian to shepherd her toward him.  To Ian, that amounted to pretty much the same thing as a green light.  Besides, he figured, he’d earned it.  While Jake slept, Ian had been a good boy and did a total sweep of Taryn’s car
and
done a little online research on Charlie’s Old Tyme Tavern.  If anything, he was becoming as intrigued by their mysterious guest as Jake.

He slipped quietly into the room, wholly unprepared for the sight that greeted him.  Taryn lay on her stomach, her face turned away from the door.  The leading edge of the single white sheet rode low on her hips.  Cascades of honey gold curls fell across her shoulders and halfway down her bare back; her arms were tucked under her head.  Clearly visible on her smooth, pristine skin was the upper half of a dragon emerging from beneath the sheet.

The tattoo was intricate, done in hues of emerald green, black, and gold.  The dragon itself was done in incredibly fine lines, protectively wrapped around a Celtic cross and surrounded with Celtic symbols that Ian thought looked vaguely familiar.  The dragon’s head rested on her left shoulder blade as if peeking out over it; from what he could see, its body extended downward as though clutched around her hip.  Ian tugged lightly at the sheet, his eyes following the dragon’s tail across her left flank.  The image was mesmerizing.  Tattoo or not, it was some of the best artwork he’d ever seen, a perfect blend of fantasy and darkness, surprisingly feminine and infinitely
hot
.

Ian’s attentions were solely focused on the details of the dragon as the rest of the image was revealed.  It therefore came as quite a surprise when his head was jerked back roughly as Taryn grabbed a handful of his hair and flipped onto her back beneath him.  Instinctively, Ian followed the momentum, rolling onto the floor with a loud thud and taking Taryn with him.  His arms reached out to keep her from getting hurt while trying to take control of the situation.  He stopped moving altogether, however, when he felt the blade of cold steel against his neck.

Except his fingers; they flexed once or twice – unconsciously registering the softness of her skin.

And his nose, which twitched once or twice as a small cloud of plaster dust mixed in with the scent of warm, freshly-showered woman.

“What the –“  Jake burst into the room, freezing in his tracks the moment he stepped over the threshold.  From his prone position, Ian’s eyes slid away from the naked woman atop him and toward his older brother. 

The look on Jake’s face was priceless, well-worth the six-inch knife at his throat and a knee hovering over his groin, poised and ready to inflict some damage.  Thankfully, Taryn didn’t flinch and give him an impromptu shave. 

“Taryn, before you kill him, can you tell me what he did?”  Jake’s low, velvety voice was calm, patient, but Ian knew the amount of control Jake must be utilizing to make it sound that way.  Jake’s eyes – always a tell – flashed his displeasure at the situation.

For his part, Ian was perfectly content to remain exactly where he was and watch the situation play out.  Almost as big as Jake, and with the same SEAL training, he could easily extract himself, but why would he want to? 

“He grabbed my ass.”  Taryn’s voice was low, too, but her anger was clearly evident.

“Not true,” Ian argued, careful not to shake his head lest he slit his own throat.  “I only moved the sheet a little to get a better look at your dragon.”  He felt the flat part of the blade press against his skin in warning.  “Well, okay, maybe I touched it a little, but Jesus, woman, you make it damn hard to resist.” 

He grinned then, letting his amusement suffuse his features, confident that if Taryn hadn’t drawn blood yet, she wasn’t going to. 

“Rogue,” she hissed.  “Don’t ever sneak up on me like that again.”  She pushed away from him, exerting unnecessary pressure on his groin as she did so – enough to send a message, but not enough to really hurt.  He appreciated that.

“Duly noted,” Ian said, propping himself up on his elbows, completely unrepentant.  “But I’d like to point out that if you had just accepted my offer last night this would not have happened.” 

She snorted softly, a decidedly feminine sound.  “That’s a beautiful tat, by the way,” he continued, seemingly unfazed.  “I’ve never seen anything quite like it.” 

Taryn didn’t respond.  She hastily wrapped a sheet around herself before pulling a small sheath from beneath the pillow and sliding her knife into it.  Only then did she turn to face Jake.

Ian turned, too, curious to see how his brother was faring.  Jake still stood in the doorway, with only a pair of jeans slung low on his hips.  His chest and feet were bare; half of his face was still covered in shaving gel.  He did not look happy.   

“Did you send him in here?” Taryn asked accusingly.

Jake shook his head in a negative response.

With another snort, Taryn grabbed her backpack and disappeared into the bathroom.

“That was fucking awesome,” Ian said, jumping to his feet.  “She’s quick, and skilled, too.  I’d say she’s had some training –“

“Don’t do that again.”  Jake’s voice was little more than a growl.  “Or next time, I’ll help her.”

* * *

O
nly once Taryn had disappeared behind the bathroom door did Jake feel his heart start to beat again.  Because when Taryn had aimed her glare at him, it had been with the most luminous violet eyes he had ever seen.

He turned from the doorway and stalked back toward his room.  His mind was still stuck on the image of Taryn naked atop his brother, torn somewhere between seething lust and insane jealousy.  It was not a good place to be.  He and Ian had shared many women, but he wasn’t sure he would survive a ménage if Taryn was involved. 

He shook his head, putting those thoughts on lockdown before he needed another cold shower.  Instead, he would focus his mind on trying to process what had just happened. 

Ian was Ian.  It wasn’t his actions that bothered Jake so much.  Jake would have been surprised if he
hadn’t
slipped into Taryn’s room and done what he did.  It was Taryn’s reaction that had him uneasy.  The look in her eyes when he first walked in could be described as nothing less than feral – a potent mix of anger and fear, like a caged animal poised and ready to fight back at all costs. 
What the hell had happened to her to make her react that way?  And why the hell did she sleep with a knife under her pillow?

“Jake.  We cool?”  Ian paused at his brother’s doorway an hour later, dressed and ready to open the Pub. 

“Yeah, we’re cool.”  Jake rolled up his sleeves to just below his elbow. 

“I didn’t mean to scare her.”

“I know.”

“She could have killed me,” Ian said seriously, all former mirth gone.  “In that first second.  She caught me totally off-guard.  She wanted to, I think.  But then she seemed to realize who I was, and she stopped.”

“You think she thought you were someone else?”

Ian nodded.  “Yeah.”  His expression was somber; lines marred his brow, his eyes darkened to a midnight blue.  “When she first grabbed me she whispered something.”

“What?”

“
Never again
.”  He paused for a minute.  “Oh, and Jake?  There’s something else.  You know that tat she’s got, how it kind of twists from back to front and back again?”  Jake nodded.  He’d gotten quite an eyeful when she’d been atop Ian.  The image was already so ingrained in his mind he could have drawn it from memory.  “That isn’t just artistic design.  The tat’s covering scars, several of them.  Stab wounds by the looks of it.”

Jake swore as he tried to control the irrational rage that simmered within him for anyone who had dared to hurt her.  He was becoming acclimated to such feelings; they were not as shocking as they had been a mere twelve hours ago.  He decided to just roll with it for now, primarily because he had no idea how to fight against it.  Taryn was soaking into him, saturating him, bonding with him, and there was nothing he could do about it.  The fact that she seemed completely unaware of the effects she was having on him made no difference whatsoever. 

“What did you find out today?”

Ian looked behind him, then closed the door and stepped further into the room.  “The car was clean, and I mean squeaky,” Ian said, his voice low.  “No trash, no personal items except for a small piece of luggage with some extra clothes and a portable GPS.  I pulled some prints, but based on the location and size of them, I’d say they’re the mechanic’s.”